Aluminous abrasive and method of preparing the same.



and cutting of LEWIS E. SAUNDERS .AND RAY SIGNORS TO NORTON COMPANY, OF 'M ASSACHUSETTS.

HILL WHITE, OF-

OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, AS-

ALUMINOUS ABRASIVE AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME.

No Drawing.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, LEWIS E. SAUNDERS and RAY HILL VVHrrE, citizens of the United States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aluminous Abrasives am Methods of Preparing the same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to aluminou's abrasives which in their commercial form are products of an electric furnace operation, and to methods of making such abrasives, the invention comprising a novel electric furnace product prepared by adding zirconia or certain compounds thereof to bauxite or equivalent impure aluminous ores, the charge being then fused in the electric furnace and subsequently cooled either in the furnace or after removal therefrom.

In a concurrent application, Serial No. 148,265, we have described and broadly claimed certain products containing the oxide of aluminum and zirconium, irrespective of the association or combination therewith of other ox-ids, including oxids of silicon, titanium and i In said application, we have also claimed specifically such products consisting exclusively or essentially of the oxids of aluminum and zirconium. Products of this latter class, when containing the oxids in the proportion best adapted for abrasive use, exist as a finely granular crystalline mass the particles of which have a marked tendency to crystal development and exhibit the characteristic property 0 breaking under compression or impact into a large number of relatively small particles of approximately uniform size,--a property which renders the material well adapted for, such purposes as the grinding, polishing glass.

We. have found that when zirconia is added to bauxite and the resulting mixture brought to fusion in the electric furnace, differs essentially described, the differences being attributable to the modifying influonce upon the alumina-zirconia composition of some or all of the normal impurities of the bauxite, the most common 0 which are silicia, titanium oxid and ferric oxid In the manufacture of the aluminous Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed'February 12, 1917.

i Patented Sept. 18, 1917. Serial No. 148,266.

abrasive described, containing appreciable amounts of zirconia, an ordinary bauxite is calcined, mixed if desired with a small proportion of coke sufficient to reduce the major portion of the iron oxid and silica, and to this is added approximately the desired amount of zirconia. t has been found that by the addition of carbon, iron oxid andsilica can be reduced to their respective metals before an appreciable amount of zirconia is reduced. As an illustrative example, a calcined bauxite of the following composition was used S10, 3.31 0 ps gag/ 1 2 0 ago, s2.e%

100 parts of this bauxite was mixed with 3.3 parts of coke and 6 parts of an impure zirconia ore.- This mixture was brough fusion in an electric furnace and thereafter cooled in t e furnace itself. The product thus formed contained, in addition to alumina,-

Fe O 34% sio, 1.1 TiO, 2.5 ZrO, 5.0

Analysis of another lot of product made in a similar way, the percentages of constituents of the mixture being different,

showed- Fe| O .4570, SiO .9L%. TiO 2.18% zro 3.68%

By the use of varying percentages of coke to the impurities contained in the bauxite, the percentage of the Fe O, and the SiO in the resulting product can be controlled.

The products thus formed are very dense in appearance, and particles thereof possess a very high relative strength, being in IS respect equal or even slightly superior to the prepared by the fusion bauxite to which no zirconia has been added. In addition, the particles or grains, as compared with the product from ordinary bauxite, enter into a muc firmerunion with the ceramic bond used in the manufacture of grinding-wheels, with heavy grinding conditions. the zirconia-containing partlcles yield a heavy duty, 7 operation gown as snagging of steel castings or the 1 e.

strongly marked effects of the c aracter indicated above. Either smaller -or larger proportions of zirconia may be used.

nasmuch as silica is a n ing crystalline alumina, 1n association With of silicon, titanium and the normal impurities of'bauxite, and zircoma.

2. An aluminous abrasive containing oxids of silicon and zirconium.

n a uminous abrasive containing oxids zirconium. n aluminous abrasive containing oxids of silicon, titanium, iron and grains containing alumlna in association h the normal impurities of bauxite and with zirconia, and a ceramic bond for said grains.

of making an aluminous which consists containing bauxite, an ore of zirconium, and carbon, the carbon in insufiicient proportion to reduce the zirconia.

In testimony whereof, We affix our signatures.

LEWIS E.

SAUNDERS. RAY HILL VWHI 

